


Lazy Mornings

by AstralKnight



Category: Super Smash Brothers
Genre: Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Prepare for Loads of Cheese, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-06
Updated: 2016-08-06
Packaged: 2018-07-25 22:57:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7550482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AstralKnight/pseuds/AstralKnight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sleeping in has never been part of their lives, for many reasons. Eventually sharing a bed at the Smash Mansion, where schedules are full, hasn't changed that. It doesn't mean they can't enjoy themselves when an unexpected development leaves them with free time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lazy Mornings

**Author's Note:**

> First things first: Samus is the 6'3 buff and broad shouldered warrior we deserve. Zelda (5'7) is all lean muscle and those involved in archery are especially developed. Peach is around 5'4 (without heels), has chub hiding muscle, has thighs of steel and, of course, her hips are deadly. Zelda is taller than Link by at least 2 inches, which makes him 5'3~5'5. I don't make the rules. 
> 
> Also, I vaguely reference events that are in other works in progress on 2 separate occasions but they're really tiny nods, so think of them as teasers. 
> 
> On that note, happy 30th Metroid and SamusZelda anniversary!

The royal princess of Hyrule, known commonly as Princess Zelda—Zelda for close friends—awoke from her slumber, feeling the soft and regular breaths from her bed-mate on the top her head. She carefully shifted to check on the time in the semi-darkness. It was early, probably too early if you would have asked Link, but they had to get ready for their upcoming matches.

She reached for the—what had Samus called it again?—holographic PDA on her nightstand. This contraption had been given to every brawler upon their arrival and she used it mainly to check the schedule for the day. She had learned of its proper name a long time after she had gotten it, when Samus, in the budding stages of their friendship, had expressed curiosity for why she kept calling it a ‘contraption’. Despite that, it still did not come naturally to Zelda and she often used the old name for it.

Surprisingly enough, it seemed both their official matches today were only in the afternoon. The details of the afternoon were not given, which was strange in itself, but Zelda was more concerned by the warm presence beside her. Deciding it wouldn’t hurt them to sleep in for once in light of this information, she settled herself back into the strong arms of one Samus Aran.

She sighed contentedly while closing her eyes, practically nuzzling Samus’ collarbone. A few moments of silence later, she felt her partner stir.

“Good morning, bounty hunter.”

“Mornin’, princess.”

This greeting was punctuated by a light kiss on the crown of Zelda’s head. Samus’ voice was still laden with sleep, giving it a husky quality. Zelda would say it added to the very endearing ensemble that was sleepy Samus, but that was for another time.

They didn’t move for a while, until Samus craned her head to look at the time. She let out a sigh before resting her head back on the pillow, evidently not thrilled at the prospect of getting up. Zelda grinned slightly. Samus? Not itching for a fight? There could be myriad of ways to tease her with this.

“I know what you’re thinking, princess,” she said in a half-groan.

“Do you now?” Zelda wondered aloud, amusement evident in her tone.

“I know you enough by now.”

Zelda chuckled, kissing said collarbone in apology. She had been thinking of letting it slide anyway. It just felt too nice to lie around in the arms of her beloved, not having to get up for any kind of responsibility. Speaking of responsibility…

“We do not have any match-ups this morning,” Zelda finally declared.

A beat.

“Couldn’t have said that earlier, could you?” Samus’ voice was dripping with sarcasm, eliciting a smirk from Zelda.

“Of course not.”

Samus huffed. “I’m surprised you managed to handle the ‘contraption’,” Samus replied. Zelda didn’t need to look up to know that she was sporting a grin of her own.

“You will regret these words later, bounty hunter,” she stated casually, poking Samus’ stomach hard through her white tank top. Samus gave an amused hum in acknowledgment, clearly not intimidated.

Contrary to her earlier words, Zelda snuggled up closer to Samus as soon as she felt Samus’ hand tracing patterns gently on her back through her nightgown. The princess retaliated in kind, her hand traveling under Samus’ white tank top and snaking its way to her back, rubbing circles with her thumb.

Zelda idly wondered if they ever had had the luxury of a lazy morning such as this one. Of course they sometimes lingered longer in bed than they should—still not as much as Link, Samus would say, getting a giggle out of Zelda—but there was always something to do in the morning that would eventually push them to get up.

Not today, though. And frankly speaking she felt so comfortable she was ready to fall back asleep at any moment. Her reverie was cut off when Samus spoke.

“Didn’t check if our friends had matches instead?” she asked, as an afterthought.

“I am certain they can manage without our presence for one morning.”

“Could it be the royal princess of Hyrule is getting lazy?” Samus teased, grinning.

“Hush, bounty hunter. It is hardly my fault you are so warm and comfortable.”

Samus hummed in wonder before she said, “Yes, humans generally share these attributes.”

“Do not ruin this with your scientific logic,” Zelda replied, smiling despite herself.

Samus chuckled. “Your wish is my command, my liege,” she said in the most solemn tone she could manage.

Samus couldn’t see Zelda’s expression in her position but she could bet she was rolling her eyes right about now, which only served to further her mirth.

“You are insufferable,” Zelda said, trying to sound stern but failing. Another hard poke in Samus’ ribs punctuated her words.

“Yep, that’s me,” Samus answered casually, amusement evident in her voice.

Zelda shook her head with a giggle. Silence fell upon the room, the both of them content to merely stay in one another’s arms. Zelda no longer felt sleepiness pervade her being, and would savor this intimate moment to its fullest while it lasted. Samus was no longer tracing patterns and was simply stroking Zelda’s back lightly, to and fro. It reminded Zelda of the way she played the harp.

Though Samus’ gaze was fixated on the curtains, she was looking at nothing in particular, her mind’s eye focused on the warm body resting between her arms.  She didn’t allow her thoughts to drift in potentially unpleasant directions, as she often did when she was alone. It was in idle moments like these, usually before sleeping, that her mind churned, no longer distracted by immediate surroundings. There was no avoiding them either, as much as she tried to busy herself throughout the day.

This was why cuddling with Zelda helped her in ways she would have never expected prior to experiencing it. She could always try to concentrate on any inanimate object in the room when she was alone, but they weren’t remotely interesting enough to keep her attention, and so her mind always returned to places she’d rather not revisit.

But with Zelda near, there were myriads of ways to distract her mind, even when there was silence. Because silence between them sometimes spoke volumes, and she was a person Samus had slowly opened herself to over time, and that she cared for deeply. She knew the feeling was mutual, even though it was sometimes hard to believe. She couldn’t count how many days she fell asleep by only focusing on Zelda’s soft breathing from the next bed over, back when they were friends and roommates, and definitely not as affectionate.

And occasionally her control would slip, but there was always something—a kiss, a caress, a simple word—to bring her back to reality. She had done this multiple times to Zelda too, as they were both prone to getting lost in thought. She remembered one night Zelda had told her how much her just being there had helped her, and how blessed she was to have such wonderful friends. Samus wanted to answer that she felt the same, but words and admissions of feelings had never been her forte, so she had stayed silent. Then, Zelda had simply smiled at her and taken her hand gently. In that moment, Samus knew she understood and had smiled back, kissing Zelda’s knuckles lightly.

Zelda, sensing by her companion’s change in body language that she was thinking too much again, brushed away the locks of hair resting on Samus’ neck and trailed kisses on it, enjoying how the taller woman’s breath hitched ever so slightly. She worked her way down, until her head rested against the pillow again, and gave a last kiss to the skin covering Samus’ throat.

Samus’ fingers moved up to comb the ends of her hair, slowly. She kissed the top of Zelda’s head and Zelda took that as a sign that she had been successful in pulling Samus away from her thoughts. Zelda closed her eyes to heighten her other senses, feeling Samus’ motions, the way their legs were tangled, how Samus’ chest rose and fell in rhythm with her quiet breaths, merely reveling in Samus’ presence.

Until she felt Samus prop herself on her elbow, giving her a short kiss on the temple, and Zelda’s eyes shot open. “Where are you off to?”

“Shower,” Samus answered, perplexed. She thought the answer was obvious, and surely Zelda would have guessed. Then, she realized that the problem was not where she was heading, but rather that she was leaving the bed. Judging by Zelda’s nonplussed expression, her realization was correct.

“Can we not stay like this longer?” Zelda asked, almost pleadingly.

Samus raised an eyebrow in amusement. “We _have_ been staying like this a long time, princess.”

Zelda automatically looked at the time and saw that they had indeed stayed in bed a full hour and a half longer than their usual morning routine. That being said… “Even so, we are not in a hurry.”

“No, but we have to get up if we want to grab breakfast and be alert for our afternoon matches,” Samus replied matter-of-factly, vastly entertained by Zelda trying to argue for some more cuddling.

Zelda sighed, knowing Samus was unfortunately right. “A kiss before you go, then?”

Zelda realized her mistake when Samus smirked and kissed her forehead lightly. Zelda stared in disapproval and would have crossed her arms if she were not currently lying on a bed.

Samus shrugged under Zelda’s gaze, her eyes playful. “You didn’t specify where.”

“I am _aware_ of that,” Zelda responded in mock-annoyance. As she expected, Samus’ smirk only grew wider. The only problem was that actually specifying where was a tad…embarrassing. Zelda cleared her throat before she continued, “On the lips, if you please.” At least she hadn’t stammered it out. She hoped the semi-darkness would hide her light blush at least a little.

Samus chuckled fondly. “Sure thing, princess,” she said, leaning in towards Zelda. She smiled when she noticed the red coating her lover’s cheeks, and Zelda only blushed more upon seeing it. Samus’ kiss was quick but tender. She then bumped their noses together lightly, an action that made them both grin goofily.

Zelda thanked her silently with her eyes and Samus looked at her one last time before raising herself off the bed and walking towards the entrance to their quarters, the bathroom door being directly adjacent. Their quarters were on the right wing, so the windows were to the right and the door giving to the outside corridor was on the left when facing the bed.                                                                 

Samus entered said bathroom, leaving the door open. It was mainly for aeration, as there were never enough vents when taking hot showers, but it was also to let Zelda know she was welcome to enter if she wished to use the room. Not that a closed door would stop her.

Samus quickly discarded her clothes, leaving them on the counter, and entered the shower. She set a moderately hot temperature and let the water flow through the shower head. She put her face directly under the stream and smoothed back her hair with both hands, exhaling.

She stayed under the stream, unmoving as steam filled the room, until she heard the shower booth door open. She turned around, only to find herself with a quite naked princess going straight for a hug. Zelda’s toned arms went around Samus’ waist, resting her head on the bounty hunter’s collarbone. Samus secured her own arms around Zelda’s shoulders.

“I thought you wanted to stay in bed?” Samus half-questioned.

“Not in your absence,” Zelda answered, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Samus smiled slightly at the admission.

“You’re quite attached to me this morning,” she commented teasingly.

Zelda didn’t miss a beat. “Is it so strange to want to spend one quiet morning in the arms of your beloved?”

“I… No. No, it’s not,” Samus said, trying to hide her embarrassment. The lingering pauses in her words certainly didn’t help her case.

Zelda hummed then smirked. “Did you just stutter?” she asked innocently.

Samus considered denying it but there was no fooling Zelda. Besides, knowing her, she’d get teased either way. “……Yes,” she finally conceded in a quiet voice.

Zelda giggled. Samus hoped she hadn’t noticed her heartbeat picking up the pace but she knew it was in vain.

“You are _so_ adorable,” Zelda said happily.

Samus let out a groan and moved to bury her now flushed face in the princess’ hair. Unfortunately for her, Zelda chose this moment to pull away in order to observe the results of her comment.

Samus adjusted her strategy accordingly, averting her head to the left instead, in a poor attempt at concealing her blush. She felt a soft hand cupping her turned cheek and she instinctively locked eyes with Zelda. She was looking at Samus warmly, like she often did, a loving smile spread on her lips. This wasn’t doing Samus’ heart any favors, nor her blush for that matter, but she couldn’t help smiling back at her lover.

Zelda’s eyes softened even more. Samus was truly breathtaking when she smiled, a privilege few were privy to. Her heartbeat quickened, not faring any better than Samus’ own. She brought her hand up and tucked away the stray strand of wet hair that had fallen in front of Samus’ eyes. Samus had unconsciously lowered the position of her hands on Zelda’s back and was now stroking her lower back with her thumb.

Zelda’s hand traveled back to Samus’ left cheek slowly and wrapped her other arm around the bounty hunter’s neck, not breaking eye contact. They leaned in towards each other, Zelda standing on her tiptoes, Samus’ muscled arms tensing slightly in case Zelda lost her balance. Their lips finally met in a long and lingering kiss, Samus pulling Zelda’s body closer to her own gently, the spray of hot water sliding down their bodies.

When they separated, they linked foreheads, both still smiling. Samus sighed in contentment, making Zelda’s smile morph into a playful grin.

“See, my coming here was not so bad now, was it?”

Samus gave a short laugh. “Shut it, princess,” she answered affectionately.

“I just might if you kiss me again,” Zelda teased, eyes twinkling.

Samus narrowed her eyes at her for a long moment, trying hard not to smile. Zelda held her gaze, stroking the back of Samus’ neck lightly. Samus gave in after a few seconds.

“You’re unbelievable,” she muttered against Zelda’s lips before closing the gap. Zelda hummed approvingly into the kiss.

“You know,” Samus began after the kiss had ended, “Not that I don’t like this or anything but we should probably finish this shower before we become wrinkly old ladies.” Samus brought one hand up and wiggled her fingers for good measure.

“A fair point,” Zelda agreed, amusement laced in her voice. “I would not exactly mind becoming a ‘wrinkly old lady’ with you, however,” she continued softly.

Samus’ eyes widened slightly, acutely aware of what Zelda was saying. Zelda was watching her reaction, unsure if this was a good thing. It had been said in the heat of the moment and Zelda knew Samus had all the reasons to shy away, considering her past.

Seeing the doubt flashing in Zelda’s downturned eyes, Samus lifted Zelda’s chin gently and whispered, “Zelda.” The princess’ attention immediately returned to Samus. She had almost forgotten they could read each other like a book most of the time.

Zelda still averted her eyes in guilt. “I apologize, Samus. That was thoughtless of me.”

Samus shook her head slowly. “Don’t. It…” Samus frowned, struggling to get the words out. She usually didn’t trust her own words enough in these situations, but she felt it was necessary here. “It means a lot to me.”

She gazed into Zelda’s eyes intently as she said that, hoping that she could convey all the thoughts she couldn’t hope to voice adequately running through her head. Zelda knew it was her way of saying that she wanted to be here, to stay, and so much more.

Zelda smiled, partly in relief and partly to indicate that Samus’ message had been understood. The old Samus would have certainly pushed her away then, and Zelda was glad she had been able to witness the gradual change in the Samus’ behavior. Samus’ tense shoulders relaxed at that motion, and a small smile of her own spread on her lips.

Their lives had not permitted them to hope much for the future but now that they had found themselves a group of unlikely friends in this realm, the possibility of growing old with them was not as far-fetched. This was doubly true for Samus, since the crisis back in Hyrule had been dealt with, whereas Samus’ activities were far from over.

Even so, they knew that they didn’t want this bond linking them and their friends together to sever. They also knew that Peach and Link felt that same, and it was an unspoken between the four of them. As such, Samus and Zelda would try their hardest to reach that future together, be it as friends or lovers.

Zelda leaned up to kiss Samus’ lips gently and they stayed silently in each other’s arms for a moment, allowing the tension to dissipate gradually.

When she felt the moment was right, Samus brought her hand up again, showing her wrinkled digits in reminder. Zelda chuckled and gave one last quick kiss to Samus before turning around and selecting the appropriate products. She took a bottle of what they called ‘shampoo’ and threw it behind her without warning, eliciting a surprised noise from the bounty hunter.

She took a bottle of shower gel for herself and turned back towards Samus. The latter was mock glaring at her, waiting for an explanation. Zelda shrugged.

“I was merely testing your reflexes,” she said casually.

“Right,” Samus replied, sarcasm evident in her voice.

“I am glad you understand, bounty hunter.” Zelda put on what she hoped was a disarming smile.

Samus stared at her in disbelief, bottle still in hand, making it hard for Zelda not to laugh. Samus sighed in defeat and shook her head with a little smile.

“C’mere, princess.”

Zelda sauntered happily towards Samus and spun around in one fluid motion. Soon enough, Samus’ hands were threading through her locks, massaging her scalp with shampoo. Zelda’s shoulders relaxed and she leaned back into Samus. She started humming her lullaby and she swore she felt Samus’ smile widen when she joined in.

When Samus had finished, Zelda went under the stream of water to rinse it off. Meanwhile, Samus started taking care of her own hair. Zelda would not have that, however, and indicated her desire to return the favor by standing in front of Samus with a determined look. Samus raised one eyebrow in amusement but complied. She even knelt down so Zelda could reach her head better.

After cleaning themselves thoroughly, they both got out of the shower booth and grabbed their color coded towels.

“This was certainly the best shower I have had in a while,” Zelda commented while drying off her hair, a larger tower wrapped around her body.

“Because I was in it?” Samus said, smirking slightly.

Zelda disguised her laugh with a scoff. “Do not flatter yourself, bounty hunter.”

Samus snickered and walked over to kiss Zelda’s temple lightly. They usually didn’t have time to enjoy showers together at their leisure, so this was a nice change of pace. They had even elected not to take too many showers together in the morning since it would lead to fooling around most of the time.

“I enjoyed your company, too,” Samus whispered. The movement near Zelda’s sensitive ear made her shiver slightly. The usual teasing tone was absent, making Zelda blush. Samus had become more and more open to voicing these thoughts as their relationship progressed, sometimes at the most unexpected of times.

“The real question is: when do you not enjoy my company?” Zelda managed to say through her flustered state.

Samus chuckled. “Talk about the pot calling the kettle black…” Zelda smiled innocently, as if she didn’t remember calling out Samus for the same type of comment moments ago. Samus shook her head and decided to let it go. “Though that’s a very good point,” she continued with a soft and affectionate voice. It never failed to make Zelda melt.

Zelda turned to face Samus. “The feeling is mutual,” Zelda said quietly.

“I know, princess.” Samus’s tone was warm as she kissed Zelda’s forehead.

Samus then proceeded to grab the room’s hair dryer and a few seconds later her hair was completely dry. This had been an object of fascination for Zelda the first time she had been here since she needed to wait it out in her own world. It was too trivial a thing to use magic on, after all. She had to admit it was quite handy when you had official business on short notice.

Zelda followed suit while Samus tied her hair up in her signature high ponytail. Samus finished tying her hair a long time before Zelda finished drying her own, so she watched the princess use it while waiting for her. The force of the air emitted by the electronic device disheveled Zelda’s hair quite effectively and it brought a small smile to Samus’ lips. She now understood why she had seen Zelda smile in the mirror, however briefly, while she was drying her own hair.

Zelda tried not to pay attention to Samus’ reflection in the mirror, but ignoring one of Samus’ smiles proved to be too difficult a challenge. Her hair was completely dry by then, so she turned the contraption off before putting it back to its rightful place.

Samus had a hard time holding back a laugh, what with how determined Zelda looked when she put the dryer back in place. It seemed as if she was placing a relic back on its pedestal, and she seemed rather pleased with herself on top of that.

Zelda, noticing Samus’ struggle, raised an eyebrow in a silent question. Samus exhaled a quiet laugh and tried to come up with a way to voice her thoughts. “It’s just that you looked…” She stopped, too flustered to continue. When Zelda’s gaze grew more intrigued, she willed herself to say it. “…Cute…doing that…” Samus finished quietly, the tip of her ears red.

Zelda wasn’t sure whether to blush herself at the compliment or melt because Samus was being so endearing, especially with the way she wouldn’t look at her directly after she said it. It ended up being a combination of both, with the two brawlers, one renowned for being one of the mightiest, standing a few feet apart, cheeks red.

“Why, thank you,” Zelda finally said, having recovered a bit of her usual composure. Samus’ eyes met hers again, her blush having faded too. Zelda smiled at the taller woman, before she continued, “We should head out and dress ourselves.”

Samus nodded, thankful for the distraction, and left the room first after picking up her discarded tank top and shorts. She wondered if she should go out with more casual clothes than her Zero Suit, considering it _was_ still early in the day and she could change back later.

 _Why not_ , she thought before she chose a light blue shirt with the pink Chozo symbol embroidered on the upper left—courtesy of Peach—and light gray sports pants covering her typical undergarments. She made quick work of it and went over to help Zelda put on her royal dress.

With the two of them, it went faster than when Zelda used to do it alone, when they were still merely roommates and Samus left early in the morning to avoid interaction. After securing Zelda’s pauldrons, Samus invited her wordlessly to sit on the bed.

Samus sat down behind her, cross-legged, and started working on Zelda’s braid. At this point, Samus could say that it was the hairstyle she knew how to do the most, second only to her own ponytail, having spent several mornings doing it for Zelda. Needless to say, the first results had been far from perfect but at least it had made Zelda laugh. Samus was a fast learner though, and she had gotten the hang of it quickly.

Zelda relaxed noticeably, back still ramrod straight, and enjoyed the feeling of Samus’ dexterous fingers working on her hair. When Samus was done, she moved the braid aside just enough to kiss the nape of Zelda’s neck affectionately, sending a warm tingle through the princess’ body.

Now ready to present themselves to the world of the Smash Mansion, they made their way to their quarters’ main door. Samus opened it, wordlessly stepping aside so Zelda would exit first. Zelda smiled and passed by Samus close enough to brush her fingers lightly along Samus’ midriff. Zelda didn’t miss the spark of amusement in Samus’ eyes in her peripheral vision.

Samus followed her closely, closing the door along with her movement. It locked automatically behind them. Zelda took Samus’ hand gently once they were shoulder to shoulder—or more accurately, shoulder to upper arm—and intertwined their fingers. Samus’ mouth quirked up slightly and she glanced at Zelda warmly.

They headed to the common room, which acted as a canteen of sorts. There were still a few brawlers who preferred to take their food and eat alone elsewhere, a group Samus had been a part of a while ago. They spotted Peach rather easily, being the only one with a pink dress out of all the brawlers.

She was sitting at Mario’s table prior to their arrival. Peach grinned when she spotted them and excused herself from her current company. The three of them stopped next to their usual—and for now empty—table.

“The two lovebirds sure are late today~” Peach said, almost singing out the last part. Her grin widened when her two friends blushed slightly.

Zelda cleared her throat. “We were otherwise occupied.”

Samus gave her a warning glance but it was too late. Peach’s grin had already transformed into a full-blown smirk.

“I’m sure you were,” she enunciated slowly with a wink, her eyes shifting to their joined hands suggestively. Samus brought a hand to her eyes, a small groan escaping her mouth. Zelda, for her part, found the wall to her right was quite fascinating. Peach may be the princess of the Mushroom kingdom but she also certainly was a queen at embarrassing people. Especially Samus and Zelda.

Peach giggled behind her hand at their reactions. “I’m just kidding,” she said, mirth still evident in her voice. The duo stared at her in unison, as if to say that yes, they knew. Peach couldn’t believe how much fun it was to tease these two.

“Say,” Zelda started as she scanned the room, “there are quite a lot of brawlers in the gathering hall at the moment. Are there supposed to be that much at this hour?”

“You didn’t get the news?” Peach asked as she looked at them in surprise. Then, in a moment of realization, she continued, “Oh right, you two were too _busy_.”

There was an embarrassed cough and another bout of wall staring. Two points for Peach, zero for the two lovers. She supposed it went well with Samus’ usual Zero Suit. She mentally high-fived herself for that joke until she realized they were waiting for an explanation.

Peach cleared her throat. “Right. The reason this place is so crowded is that no one had any matches scheduled this morning,” she clarified. Samus gave a meaningful glance towards Zelda, who just shrugged slightly in answer. Peach watched their interaction in amusement. There was evidently a lot she had missed this morning. “Some of the brawlers did go and set up mock fights, though. I’m sure you’d be welcome to join them, Samus.”

“No thanks,” she answered as she distractedly surveyed the dining area. When she felt two pairs of eyes on her she brought her attention back to Zelda and Peach. Peach looked positively worried—something Samus knew was entirely faked—while Zelda was smirking slightly. This couldn’t be happening _again_ , Samus thought as she glared at the two princesses.

Peach was about to make the comment they were all waiting for when Samus spotted a yellow critter hopping towards her. Peach wisely chose to not say anything after Samus glared at her again. She squeezed Zelda’s hand lightly before letting go to catch a happy Pikachu in her arms.

“Hey, buddy,” she greeted as she nestled him on her left arm and scratched his head with her right hand. The pokémon let out a pleased “Pika!” and gave the equivalent of a hug to her ribs. She smiled slightly at the gesture. She looked over to the silent princesses who were also smiling at the scene, Zelda’s gaze being particularly affectionate. Samus swallowed thickly.

“What do you want?” she abruptly asked, in an attempt at deflecting potential embarrassment. She directed this question at Zelda, Peach obviously having already eaten, judging by the empty plate at Mario’s table.

“Ah, yes. A meal would be good,” Zelda answered as if she had just remembered this was the primary reason they had gotten out of their room. “The usual, if you please,” she continued.

Samus nodded and kissed Zelda’s forehead before heading out to the buffet of food. Zelda blushed slightly at the casual action. She then noticed her now only companion had a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

“Peach…”

Peach raised her arms defensively. “I didn’t say anything!” she proclaimed as she took a seat at the round table.

Zelda chuckled as she did the same, sitting one seat away from Peach so they could still somewhat face each other while keeping an eye on the cafeteria. “Right. But you were thinking it,” she replied matter-of-factly.

“How can I not when you two are so damn _cute_ all the time?!” Peach exclaimed. They both spotted the younger brawlers had decided to follow Samus, presumably for the purpose their newly devised game. Pikachu was perched on her shoulder, as usual, and Kirby had plopped down on top of her head, appearing to be content with the position.

Zelda’s light blush returned and she smiled at her friend’s enthusiasm. “Thank you, that is very kind of you to say.” After Ness pointed at Samus and gave a battle cry, he and Lucas tried to slow down the giant warrior by grabbing onto her legs, to no avail. Samus seemed thoroughly unfazed by all the commotion surrounding her and went about her business.

Peach rolled her eyes at that. “Oh, come now, don’t give me that. Everyone here knows it and so do you.” She raised an eyebrow as the Ice Climbers and Toon Link joined the fray, after deeming that annoying Ganondorf had lost its interest for now.

“Very well, Peach. You win,” Zelda answered, amused. Peach nodded to herself proudly. “Also…Where is Link?”

Peach giggled and looked at Zelda teasingly. “Where do you think?”

Zelda smiled fondly. “He is still sleeping, is he not?”

“Yep!”

As if on cue, a sleepy Link entered the room, his tunic obviously put on very hastily. He had also forgotten his hat, as was typical of him in the morning. Peach waved at him vigorously while Zelda watched the Ice Climbers and Lucas throw Ness at Samus’ back. He managed to wrap his arms around her neck and held on courageously. The rest of the little group cheered. Link reached the table just as Samus had finished getting everything ready.

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” Zelda greeted her longtime friend affectionately. Link nodded to both her and Peach with a smile before he sat down between them and all but collapsed, his head on his arms. Peach patted his shoulder.

“Hey, Link,” Samus said as she came back from her apparently very eventful trip, Kirby hat and Ness backpack in tow, and put the two plates she held down on the table.

Link raised his head and had to hold back a laugh, something he didn’t quite succeed in doing. Peach, on her end, was trying very hard not to lose her composure at the contrast between Samus’ deadpan expression and her rather interesting hat. Zelda had already put a hand in front of her mouth to hide her smile. Samus paid them no mind.

Kirby finally moved from his resting place to float down to the table, where there was now food to be had. Samus smoothed her hair back with her hand and waited for Link’s laughter to subside before asking him if he wanted anything. Link pointed to Zelda’s plate before he lost his cool again.

“You Hylians and your eggs,” Samus grumbled before she made the trip back to get some more food. Zelda chuckled while Peach couldn’t hold her mirth in check anymore and burst in a fit of giggles. Link and Peach soon were holding each other for support.

In the meantime, Zelda heard a rather indignant “Pika!” after the pokémon had to jump on top of Samus’ head, the Ice Climbers having decided that getting on Samus’ shoulders was an acceptable challenge. They were dancing in victory and Zelda was seriously wondering how they kept their balance. Samus’ shoulders were broad, but still. More importantly, it was interesting to see how Samus could be so unperturbed by these kinds of events. She supposed her mental focus came in handy for this. Not so much with situations involving herself, Zelda thought with an amused smile.

When Samus came back a second time, Link and Peach had calmed down enough to be coherent. She set the plate in front of Link, who beamed at her in thanks and didn’t waste any time to dig in. Zelda had been waiting for her lover to return before touching her own food. She was about to follow in her best friend’s footsteps when she was interrupted by Samus silently pointing to her back with a lopsided smile and a slightly raised eyebrow.

Understanding her intent, Zelda tried not to think about how cute Samus looked with that expression and lifted Ness off the bounty hunter’s back. She laid him down gently and tapped his cap lightly with a smile. He grinned before sauntering off to where his friend Lucas was waiting.

For her part, Samus had slowly removed Pikachu from her head and had placed it next to Kirby, who was now playing with Peach. This consisted mostly of the princess feeding the pink blob. Samus sighed and stretched her back before finally sitting down. She felt a pair of gloved arms wrap around shoulders and she leaned back into the embrace instinctively.

“Thank you, Samus,” Zelda spoke softly in her ear. Samus closed her eyes and hummed contentedly, then grinned.

“Isn’t this a bit much for getting you a plate of food?” Samus knew the gratitude expressed ran deeper than that—they didn’t use each other’s names that often after all—but she also knew Zelda would understand her reaction.

She heard the sharp exhale of air of Zelda’s hushed laugh.

“Just accept it, bounty hunter.”

“Gladly, princess.”

Zelda shook her head with a smile and kissed Samus’ temple before going back to her seat. The other occupants of the table were looking at them with huge grins. They had talked too quietly for them to hear, especially with the room’s ambient noise, but their obvious love for each other had shone through their actions.

Seeking to divert everyone’s attention from them, Samus swallowed a piece of her pancake before she said, “I forgot to ask, but why is it exactly we don’t have any brawls this morning?”

Peach brought her hand up to her mouth in an exaggerated expression of surprise. “Samus is back with her fighting spirit at last!” Samus rubbed the bridge of her nose while Zelda’s shoulders shook with contained hilarity. They had waited all morning to voice that joke and she just _had_ to give them the opportunity to. Regaining a modicum of seriousness, Peach continued, “In all honesty, I have no clue. It _might_ be related to our undisclosed afternoon matches. That or it’s just a flight of fancy.”

“Great. A flight of fancy from a giant floating hand. We’ll have seen everything,” Samus replied sarcastically. The table shared a laugh at that and Samus relaxed a little now that everyone had stopped staring.

Zelda proceed to carry on a conversation with Peach, and Samus listened silently while eating with her left hand. She felt Zelda’s hand slip into her own under the table (sudden realization that Samus is probably ambidextrous whoa). She laced their fingers together and glanced over with a small smile, which was shared by the princess.

Jigglypuff chose that moment to roll towards their table and join her fellow pokémon and pink puff ball. “Jiggly!” she announced her presence after she floated up on the table. She was greeted by a hug from both Kirby and Pikachu and nods from the rest.

“If this continues, we will have the entirety of the brigade at our table,” Zelda remarked teasingly, looking pointedly at Samus.

Samus paused her eating, perplexed. “Why’re you looking at me? I didn’t do anything.”

“That is exactly the problem.”

Samus stared, trying to decipher the meaning of these words. Peach shook her head and sighed, as if saying that Samus was a lost cause. Link smiled sympathetically at her.

“Don’t tell me you didn’t notice how animals and kids just seem to naturally flock to you,” Peach finally explained when Samus wasn’t any closer to figuring it out, even though they had hinted at it several times in the past.

Samus considered this new information carefully, and searched through her memories. The majority of them concerned hostile wildlife, but there had been three separate occasions where this could have applied.

The first one was on SR-388, when the baby Metroid hatched and had grown attached to her instantly. That was easily explainable by it thinking she was its mother, but she supposed she could take it into account. The other two had occurred on planet Zebes, while she was looking for that same baby Metroid and the local wildlife had helped her.

These were isolated cases at best, but she had to admit a large part of the tiny brawlers had grown inexplicably fond of her. “It’s debatable,” she said, summarizing her train of thoughts.

Peach shrugged in an exaggerated manner, showing her exasperation. “Whatever makes you feel better, knucklehead.”

Samus grinned at Peach’s mannerisms and offered a counterargument, “I think Link would be more suited for that remark.” The concerned party blinked, surprised the conversation had shifted to him so suddenly.

Peach couldn’t deny that Link had a way with kids and animals too, but she wouldn’t let Samus slip away that easily. It was Zelda who spoke before she could decide on what to say. “I think you are both equally suited, albeit it is certainly in different ways.”

Peach couldn’t have said it better herself and thanked any higher power for Zelda’s friendship. She could always count on her to corner Samus when she tried to use her evasive tactics.

Samus gave in with a sigh, though she still looked skeptical. “At this point, the four of us are ‘equally suited’ for this,” she commented. Peach and Zelda being princesses meant they had a way with pretty much everyone they met, save for people who had ill intent for them. Then again, Samus supposed that was a rule that could apply to anybody.

She couldn’t count the times where she’d see the brawlers—adults, children and pokémon alike—being utterly captivated as Zelda played her harp elegantly. Now that she thought about it, it was even how they had met for the first time. As for Peach, well… She had a way of putting a smile on anyone’s face. Though it hadn’t exactly been effective back when Samus was dead set on avoiding interaction at the Smash Mansion, and Peach had approached her several times.

“Something funny, Samus?” Peach asked, jolting the bounty hunter out of her thoughts. Samus hadn’t realized she had been grinning slightly when she was looking back on it.

“Just remembering your attempts at striking up a conversation with me when you joined the roster,” Samus answered, now sporting a full-blown smirk. Zelda looked on in interest, having joined a few days later than Peach due to circumstances in her royal duties. She had heard Peach’s version of the events but Samus had never talked about it before now, even if it was a few years late.

“Ahhh, the good old days where everyone was terrified of you,” Peach sighed out in nostalgia. Pikachu, Kirby and Jigglypuff all nodded solemnly at her words. Samus gazed at her in amusement, wondering what she’d say next. “Either it seemed like your helmet was glaring at us or you were _actually_ glaring without it. Well, not that some of the brawlers still aren’t scared of you… Especially in the arena.”

And then there had been _that_ incident, where everyone was reminded just how frightening Samus could be, but it was wiser not to speak of it. They had worked through it and it was better not to dredge up these memories.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Samus said, not disappointed by Peach’s dramatic reading of it all.

Zelda could just imagine Peach cheerfully trying to get Samus to talk only to be met with an unimpressed stare. It was definitely amusing in hindsight, but also showed how much they’d progressed over time.

“And _then_ , we eventually found out it was just your natural expression. Imagine that.” That got a round of giggles from the small group. “Finally, after our combined efforts,” she said, looking at Link and Zelda, “we got through to the Steel Giant.” She finished by wiping an invisible tear from her eye.

Samus laughed quietly and shook her head at her friend’s antics. The occupants of the table were all smiling in one way or another, which gave weight to Samus’ earlier assessment of Peach.

“Or, you know, whatever your power suit thing is made of,” Peach amended.

“In that case, would it not have been more appropriate to call her Armored Giant?” Zelda asked.

Peach’s eyes brightened considerably. “Oh, you’re right! I’ll be sure to use that in the future. Thanks, Zel!” She smiled at her fellow princess and Zelda chuckled at her enthusiasm while Samus and Link shared a look.

There were also things to be said about Peach’s tendency to stick with one group, given the way she’d started off in Smash Mansion. Peach had talked to each and every one of the brawlers when she first arrived, with varying success, but most enjoyed her company. She often flitted between the groups that had formed over time without any problems and never really stayed in one place.

That is, until she gradually spent more time with Zelda and Link and settled down with perhaps the most unlikely group to arise from the Mansion. No one expected Samus and Peach being able to stand each other, let alone be friends, and yet here they were. Of course, Peach still socialized with the others, but it was clear a strong bond had formed between the four of them.

Not that Samus would voice these thoughts, since they were merely the product of casual observation, and anyone could tell you the same thing. It would also make her prone to more teasing, which was already significant enough without her adding to it.

The rest of the morning went on the same way until lunchtime, with Samus taking her leave only to return clad in her Zero Suit. Jigglypuff and Kirby left the group partway through, Marth taking their place after he decided he had enough of the mock fights. As such, Link and Samus were stuck with three royals discussing subjects in overly elaborate terms and often looked at each other in amusement, a fact that did not slip past Zelda.

Samus had observed that even though Peach preferred casual language, she was able to revert back to formal speech effortlessly if need be. Peach being Peach, however, it did not appear as dignified as Zelda’s speech because of her usual cheery disposition.

A few minutes after they had all finished their lunch, the public address system called all brawlers to the main lobby, no doubt for the mystery event. Everyone got there fairly quickly but the usual scheduling screens were still blank. Murmurs could be heard throughout the room until the screens finally came to life. The brawlers stared at the information displayed, and the murmurs redoubled in force. 

What was in front of them was an intensive schedule with a balance of brawls and team battles with barely five minutes of pause in between each match. There was a longer pause of fifteen minutes for every two hours until six thirty that evening. That meant six hours of practically non-stop battles. The younger brawlers were somewhat spared on that account as they did not appear in every match-up.

The matches would all happen simultaneously on different stages and there would be no crowd. It was even done in such a way that it would allow each brawler to face against everyone else at least once.

However, the occupants of the lobby were no strangers to intensive match-ups, albeit it was rarely to that extent. What caught their attention was something else entirely and it cemented in their minds that this was, for all intents and purposes, a test-run.

Peach was the first one to comment. “Eight fighters per match? Sounds fun!” It would also be doubly tiring especially since all the matches were timed. There was no room for defeated brawlers to rest in that case. The only stock battles were scheduled at the very end, possibly for that very purpose.

Next to her, Marth sighed deeply. “I wish I had not let Ike drag me into his adventures.” Link reached around Peach to pat the Altean prince sympathetically.

Peach rested her hand on Marth’s shoulder solemnly with a soft sigh of her own. “I know the feeling. Samus does it all the time.”

“If anything, _you’re_ the one who does it all the time,” was the deadpan retort from the concerned party, coupled with a side glance.

Peach grinned broadly. “Just checking if you were paying attention.”

Samus narrowed her eyes, unconvinced. She let it slide, the three others watching the exchange with interest.

Peach’s expression turned sly. “But, hey! You can fight to your heart’s content now!”

Samus glared at her pink-clad friend, not deigning to answer. Peach was determined to make this the running joke of the day, much to her dismay. Thankfully, the matches were starting soon, although Peach was likely to tease her about it even during fights. Samus warned Pikachu before she materialized her full suit, and removed her helmet for the time being.

The three royals wished their companions good luck, while Link nodded enthusiastically with a full-blown grin and Samus opted for a curt nod. Pikachu went with its usual cheery “Pika!” before stepping on the arena teleporters. Marth, Peach and Link followed suit.

Samus was about to do the same when Zelda stopped her by taking her hand. Before Samus could ask, Zelda tiptoed to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. Samus blinked and immediately donned her helmet in hopes of partially hiding her rapidly rising blush. Zelda’s affectionate grin told Samus her efforts had not been very effective.

Samus raised her hand hesitantly before Zelda turned away and paused. Zelda gave her an encouraging smile, prompting Samus to rest it on Zelda’s cheek lightly. Zelda brought her own hand up and squeezed Samus’, leaning into the touch. Samus could not do much to show affection while in full armor but Zelda’s soft smile indicated it was more than enough. Samus’ answering smile was obscured by her visor but Zelda knew her enough to tell by now.

A loud warning noise snapped them out of their moment and reminded them that they were on a tight brawl schedule.

“We should go,” Zelda said, somewhat reluctantly.

Samus nodded. “I’m pretty sure Peach is making a comment about us ‘lovebirds’ right about now.” Peach was in Zelda’s first match, and they were the last ones in the lobby after all.

Zelda giggled and they both stepped on the teleporter, turning to face each other before its light engulfed them, marking the start of their eventful afternoon.

 

* * *

 

Zelda, Peach and Link walked to the common room, exhausted but glad that they had just finished their last match. A lot of fighters had taken their food to their quarters in order to rest up afterwards, and some had even fallen asleep on the cafeteria tables.

Directly to their left, in the corner Peach had converted into a rest area featuring a semi-circle shaped couch and an impressive amount of cushions, they were greeted by the sight of Samus casually sipping on an orange juice. She was sitting on the right curve of the couch, Pikachu curled up against her side, asleep.

She had finished her match-ups first along with her group, her stock battle having been ridiculously short. It might have been because the stage they fought on had a gaping hole in the center, and many a brawler had lost a stock by being meteored down.

Strangely enough, no other fighters had thought of using the couch. Though this could be explained by the fact that not all matches were over yet, it could also be that Samus was still too intimidating to some of them.

On the coffee table in front of her were three distinctive drinks sitting on coasters. Peach’s eyes went wide when she spotted the middle one and rushed as much as she could in her tired state to take a large gulp of its contents. Just as she had suspected, it was her favorite brand of peach juice.

“You’re the best, Samus!” she exclaimed before collapsing on the couch, to Samus’ left. Samus raised an eyebrow at Peach’s outburst but did not betray any emotion otherwise. Link and Zelda smiled at each other and took their respective drinks.

Samus had provided milk for Link and refrigerated tea for Zelda, a drink she had discovered only by coming here. She had gotten their favorite cold drinks ready for their arrival, in a testament of Samus’ quiet thoughtfulness and observation skills.

Zelda settled herself between Peach and Samus, while Link sat at the other side of Peach, not before grinning at Samus in thanks. Zelda was about to thank her as well, but Samus pre-empted her.

“I wanted to get you hot tea but I didn’t know when you’d get back, so…” If there was something Samus learned while hanging out with two princesses, it was that lukewarm tea was never acceptable. She had had some herself due to certain circumstances, and she had to agree.

Zelda looked at Samus for a moment before laughing softly into her hand, much to Samus’ confusion. “That was very sweet of you. Thank you,” Zelda finally said, kissing the corner of Samus’ lips.

Samus looked away, her ears red. “You’re welcome,” she mumbled, acutely aware of the grin Zelda was now sporting.

Peach, who was looking at the ceiling, let out a soft sigh. “The lovebirds are flirting again,” she uttered dramatically. Link grinned and patted her shoulder lightly. Overcome with emotion, Peach grabbed his hand. “Thank you, Link. I don’t know what I’d do without your unwavering support in the face of such adversity…”

“I’ve never seen you this out of it,” Samus commented with a smirk.

“Don’t ruin the moment, Samus,” Peach replied easily. However, she did not have the energy to go on with her act, which was a feat in itself. She finished her drink, put back the glass on the table next to Link’s finished one and leaned back into the couch, sighing in contentment. “You know what would be great right now?” She asked, a bit of sleepiness seeping into her voice. “A big hug.”

Link hugged Peach from the side tightly in answer, careful not to trap her arms. Peach smiled brightly, her eyes twinkling in joy. “Aw thanks, Link. You’re the best.” She then turned towards Zelda. “You’re the best too, so you also get a hug!”

Peach wrapped her arms around Zelda’s abdomen and rested her head on her shoulder, a happy noise coming out of her mouth. Zelda smiled and took the final sip of her drink before turning her head towards Samus expectantly.

Samus stared back at Zelda and motioned to the glass in her hand to indicate that hugging her could be a bad idea. Zelda was expecting that answer, and simply sent both of their glasses back on the table with the help of a bit her magic. She looked back at Samus with an eyebrow raised teasingly.

Samus sighed. “Fine. Just don’t wake Pikachu up.” Zelda smiled in delight and wrapped her arms around Samus, and nestled her head on Samus’ upper torso. Samus kissed the top of Zelda’s head, her eyes softening.

After finding more comfortable long-term positions, the quartet stayed close together. Peach and Link fell asleep quickly, Zelda and Samus listening to the various ambient noises.

Right at that moment, in all of the confines of space, there was nowhere Samus would rather be. Zelda mirrored the sentiment, instead thanking the three Goddesses governing Hyrule.

 

* * *

 

Samus woke up an hour later, noticing the portion of the couch to her right was noticeably more crowded. It seemed like the kids and tiny beings had decided to join the sleeping quintet.

Other brawlers had been kind enough to provide them all with blankets, and one of them looked suspiciously close to Marth’s cape. When she looked to her left to check on her other friends, all that awaited her was Peach’s sly smile.

“Don’t say a thing.”

Peach complied but her triumphant expression made Samus’ words sound moot. Samus could already imagine Zelda’s reaction upon waking up. Not that she had to for long, considering she felt Zelda stir against her. Samus sighed and resigned herself to the impending teasing.

**Author's Note:**

> I've fallen and I can't get up


End file.
